Carwow grades vehicles so you can quickly and reliably sort used cars by their condition. Below is a breakdown of our grading logic so you can understand how we classify listings.

Grade 1 vehicles have limited to no notable damage, are under 6 years old, have a full-service history from a main franchised dealership, have no warning lights and have a valid MOT.

Grade 2 vehicles share certain characteristics of grade 1 vehicles, plus it may have a small amount of minor damage, maybe an active minor warning light or it may need an MOT.

Grade 3 vehicles share certain characteristics of grade 1 & 2 vehicles, plus it may have one area of major damage such as all alloy wheels scuffed or a a body panel is dented and the vehicle may only have a part service history.

Grade 4 vehicles share certain characteristics of grade 1, 2, & 3 vehicles, plus it may have up to three areas of major damage and it may have a major warning light active.

Grade 5 vehicles share certain characteristics of grade 1, 2, 3 & 4 vehicles plus it may have up to five areas of major damage.

MOT

If the car has recently had its MOT this makes the vehicle more desirable and positively affects its grade.

Service history

Cars with complete service histories, especially from franchised dealerships positively affects its grade.

Minor warning lights

Examples of minor warning lights include the oil needing a top-up, the car needing a service or that a bulb has gone out. Minor warning lights negatively affect a car's grade.

Major warning lights

Examples of major warning lights include things such as break system fluid issues, airbag faults or power steering problems. Major warning lights severely negatively affect a car's grade.

Minor damage

Examples of minor damage include chips and scratches that are less than 15 cm, one or two tyres that need replacing, minor chips to the windscreen and an area of damage to the interior.

Major damage

Examples of major damage include chips and scratches that are more than 15cm, three or four tyres that need replacing, scuffs to the alloys, a major chip to the windscreen and more that two or more areas of damage (or things missing) from the interior.

We assign the grade based on the condition and factors that the seller has told us when they created their listing on carwow. During our qualification call, the team makes every effort to ensure that this information is complete and accurate.

Although every effort is made, all details should be confirmed by the buyer independently as conditions can change during the sale of the vehicle, carwow will not accept liability for the information provided. Please also allow for a minor number of discrepancies when placing offers for vehicles.

We kindly ask buyers to raise any significant concerns directly with vehicle grading of a particular car with their Account Manager to allow us to conduct an investigation and improve the experience for everyone.